Hard to Imagine that this is what it may come down to for the success or failure of the Season. I am at wits end with this crap and it's really comical given how many years this has never been an issue. If this is such a big deal then why, I mean really WHY, didn't we have a Right handed Bat on the Team that can actually hit?? 170 Million dollars and only two legitimate right handed batters on the team, when they're hitting?? I hope Theo and the rest of his FO Gang can somehow come up with a couple of Right handed bats soon because it seems our Manager is Locked into this Lefty Righty thing and if McDonald and Cameron are the answers one can only guess at the questions...

Hard to Imagine that this is what it may come down to for the success or failure of the Season. I am at wits end with this crap and it's really comical given how many years this has never been an issue. If this is such a big deal then why, I mean really WHY, didn't we have a Right handed Bat on the Team that can actually hit?? 170 Million dollars and only two legitimate right handed batters on the team, when they're hitting?? I hope Theo and the rest of his FO Gang can somehow come up with a couple of Right handed bats soon because it seems our Manager is Locked into this Lefty Righty thing and if McDonald and Cameron are the answers one can only guess at the questions... Posted by ALaGatorAL

AL, I can relate to youre frustrations, I really feel Theo believed both Cam and Mac could get it done judged by past experience. It's not working so the sooner we find a guy like "Scott Posednik" that can get on base against any pitcher the better off we are to make a run at the WS.

There seems to be more loyalty on this team than others. I say, forget that lets just fill in the puzzle with contributers and move on to our ultimate goal.

It's a wonder the Sox every allowed Ted Williams play, him being a lefty and all. And that must be why they let Ruth go, just another ho-hum lefty.

AGon, right now the best hitter in MLB, is a lefty and got two hits last night. Tek, a switch-hitter, also got two. Youk got zilch. Pedroia got a single.

The Sox have a winning record against lefties this year.

Cameron and McDonald are beyond question non-hitters this year. The two guys who could probably have done some good last night are both lefties--Ortiz and Reddick.

With a predominantely lefty lineup this year, the Sox have the best hitting and scoring in MLB.

The problem last night was that Ortiz is a DH and can't play 1B ahead of the best hitter in baseball. Plus Crawford and Lowrie are on the DL. Plus the Pirates actually have good pitching. They gave up 9 hits, but all of them were singles.

You say this as if we are talking about some myth like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster.

It has been a part of the strategy of baseball managers for decades now. This is why every major league GM covets a lefty specialist reliever that can come in late in games and get out the tough lefty hitters. And they will pay a lot for a lefty that consistently gets lefty batters out.

The thing is Theo acquired two very good players this off season, both bat left which gives the Sox a lefty heavy lineup. People would be complaining if Theo had let one or both of these talented guys get away. The Yankees have been very successful with lefty heavy lineups, partly due to the short porch in N.Y. Fact is you face more righthand pitchers than lefthand pitchers, so if you are going to be "heavy" on one side , it is better to be "heavy" with lefty batters. I think you are making a bigger issue out of this than what it really is.

In Response to Lefty - Righty... : AL, I can relate to youre frustrations, I really feel Theo believed both Cam and Mac could get it done judged by past experience. It's not working so the sooner we find a guy like "Scott Posednik" that can get on base against any pitcher the better off we are to make a run at the WS. There seems to be more loyalty on this team than others. I say, forget that lets just fill in the puzzle with contributers and move on to our ultimate goal.Posted by craze4sox

I don't think so. The Yankees, Rays, all teams have guys with bad numbers that are still on the roster. It's just not that easy to pick up better hitters to replace them.

"Locked in to this Lefty Righty thing." ??? You say this as if we are talking about some myth like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster. It has been a part of the strategy of baseball managers for decades now. This is why every major league GM covets a lefty specialist reliever that can come in late in games and get out the tough lefty hitters. And they will pay a lot for a lefty that consistently gets lefty batters out. The thing is Theo acquired two very good players this off season, both bat left which gives the Sox a lefty heavy lineup. People would be complaining if Theo had let one or both of these talented guys get away. The Yankees have been very successful with lefty heavy lineups, partly due to the short porch in N.Y. Fact is you face more righthand pitchers than lefthand pitchers, so if you are going to be "heavy" on one side , it is better to be "heavy" with lefty batters. I think you are making a bigger issue out of this than what it really is.Posted by ZILLAGOD

I always use this disclaimer when discussing baseball strategy: I don't know nearly as much about the game or the team as Terry Francona or the other 29 managers in Major League Baseball.

But ... I do think this lefty-righty thing gets overdone sometimes. I can see no reason to play McDonald or Cameron the rest of the year. They bring nothing to the table. Reddick, on the other hand, is producing. Granted, it's a small sample, but he's producing. Until Crawford returns, at least, he should be in there every day.

You know I have been watching Baseball for 50 years and can't recall it ever taking on this epic proportion. I know you try to match up to give your team the best chance to win but Please !! I can see it being an issue Going against the Elite Left handed Pitchers, no wait a minute, We Have an elite Left handed pitcher and it didn't seem to Baffle the PIRATES !! Batting Cameron and McDonald back to back, or even in the same Lineup, No Matter What hand the pitcher is throwing From, Cue Gieko comercial, only makes sense if your making out the lineup in a T-Ball Game !! These are the games you fatten up on for the rest of Season, not fall back to the pack.

"Locked in to this Lefty Righty thing." ??? You say this as if we are talking about some myth like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster. It has been a part of the strategy of baseball managers for decades now. This is why every major league GM covets a lefty specialist reliever that can come in late in games and get out the tough lefty hitters. And they will pay a lot for a lefty that consistently gets lefty batters out. The thing is Theo acquired two very good players this off season, both bat left which gives the Sox a lefty heavy lineup. People would be complaining if Theo had let one or both of these talented guys get away. The Yankees have been very successful with lefty heavy lineups, partly due to the short porch in N.Y. Fact is you face more righthand pitchers than lefthand pitchers, so if you are going to be "heavy" on one side , it is better to be "heavy" with lefty batters. I think you are making a bigger issue out of this than what it really is.Posted by ZILLAGOD

I'm not making a Bigger issue then it is, out of it, Tito Is. I say bat the guy who gives you the best chance at winning, Period. Right Now Those names are not Cameron or McDonald. And just for the record, I would have had no problem letting Crawford go to another team, Especially at 20 mil a season !!

In Response to Re: Lefty - Righty... : I think it only seems to be a bigger issue because there's so much chatter and analysis in places like this forum. The platoon concept has been around a long time.Posted by Hfxsoxnut

Nobody is saying it hasn't... But if you don't have a platoon, don't try and use it !! It's like a switch hitter that hits .360 from one side of the plate and hits .140 from the other, News Flash, You are not a Switch Hitter !! Just because the guy stands at the plate in the right handed batters box don't mean he can hit or even have a better chance of hitting a left handed pitcher then lefty batter,a guy who seems to be locked in at this moment of time.

It's funny how all these carping critics also say that Ortiz should not bat 5th (and play 1B) because sending AGon to RF would be disastrous. Pitching around Youk gets a lot harder when the next guy is Ortiz--even against lefties.

It's funny how all these carping critics also say that Ortiz should not bat 5th (and play 1B) because sending AGon to RF would be disastrous. Pitching around Youk gets a lot harder when the next guy is Ortiz--even against lefties. Posted by maxbialystock

And the Dam funniest thing is... That was one of the very few decisions Tito was going to make that I could actually see some sense to it. But the Bottom Line is, Even without Ortiz in the lineup there is no way, Short of the Second Coming of CY Young, on God's green earth, the sox should be losing games to Pittsburg and San Diego (With Ortiz)

Here are Maholm's career splits: Right-handed hitters against him 295/357/447 804 OPS Left-handed hitters against him 212/283/300 583 OPSPosted by Hfxsoxnut

And Thanks to Cameron and McDonald those right handed batting stats look even better today !! LOL... I Have to apologize to Cameron and McDonald. It's not their fault they're still in the lineup or even on this team. It's hard to blame a guy for wanting to play just as it is hard to blame a pitcher for not pitching well and is left in the game. That is why You have a Manager and General Manager. Get somebody in the lineup that can produce or at the very least give an appearance that they could !!

In Response to Re: Lefty - Righty... : And Thanks to Cameron and McDonald those right handed batting stats look even better today !! LOL... I Have toapologize to Cameron and McDonald. It's not their fault they're still in the lineup or even on this team. It's hard to blame a guy for wanting to play just as it is hard to blame a pitcher for not pitching well and is left in the game. That is why You have a Manager and General Manager. Get somebody in the lineup that can produce or at the very least give an appearance that they could !!Posted by ALaGatorAL

Congratulations. After 2500+ posts, you are beginning to see the light.

In Response to Lefty - Righty... : AL, I can relate to youre frustrations, I really feel Theo believed both Cam and Mac could get it done judged by past experience. It's not working so the sooner we find a guy like "Scott Posednik" that can get on base against any pitcher the better off we are to make a run at the WS. There seems to be more loyalty on this team than others. I say, forget that lets just fill in the puzzle with contributers and move on to our ultimate goal.Posted by craze4sox

No, what the Sox have is more egomaniacal fans who cannot accept the possibility that they might not know everything about every player, and therefore come up with weird rationalizations about why their "obvious" suggestions are never taken...